It seems we have come full circle with our ride. Due to many circumstances (way too many to list) we are going back to our original plan and staying out at Elk Rock for the ride. We are excited about this because after trying to plan alternate routes we realize now that we have eliminated many many added stressors. This is a benefit ride, after all, and we want everyone to be able to enjoy the day!

We have been given really awesome feedback and have continued to see support throughout this process even though we have changed things (or thought we did) several times. This is the first time we have tried to do something like this and we are definitely learning on the fly. Again we would like to thank you all for your patience as you wait for us to get it together! So without further ado, here is the FINAL PLAN:

Warrior Princess Trail Ride at Elk Rock!Join us as we hit the trails to benefit Whitney and her family

11:30 - Meet at campsites 1 and 2 for brief ride meeting12:00 - Ride out12 - 4 - Benefit trail ride through the park (end time may vary based on how quickly we complete the trails)5:00 - ? Campfire social at campsites 1 and 2. Bring your lawn chair and cooler to the campfire.

During the campfire social we will draw for door prizes, and the silent auction will be from 5 - 8. After the bidding closes, we will award the silent auction items and we will present Whitney and her family with all the proceeds raised. Join us and make this an event to remember!

RIDE UPDATE:Yesterday, before our meeting, Sharina and I drove the highway from Elk Rock to Knoxville and back again before we met with the Asst. City Manager of Knoxville to discuss possible routes and possible gathering places for our trails end social. The meeting went well and we think we have everything hammered out...BUT we need to wait for final approval from the city council on a few things before I can post any final details. We just want to wait until we have EVERYTHING put together and finalized so we don't have to change things yet again..

I can tell you this, though...Because we anticipate such a large group of supporters for Whit and her family (which is totally AWESOME), finding parking for all the rigs and a place to put all our horses is an issue. Sharina and I have put together a reverse route starting in Knoxville and ending at Elk Rock. We feel that this would eliminate the need for all day parking of all our rigs, it would help ease the stress of the city of Knoxville and Elk Rock is already set up to accommodate large amounts of people and horses.

We have asked the city to close off a street near a park for us to unload and use as a "staging area" for the beginning of our ride. This is what we are waiting on approval for. I should be getting a call back by Tuesday, then I will update yet again! Thank you all for your patience! This has been quite a learning experience for us! More updates to come....stay tuned!

Hi all. We are struggling with the legalities of our ride. In the state of Iowa, a Poker Run is considered gambling and a license is required. Also, in the state of Iowa, a raffle drawing is considered gambling and a license is required. In order to obtain this licensing, the organization needs to be a non-profit organization, or have sponsorship from a non-profit organization. Obviously we a...re not a non-profit, and are having a very hard time finding sponsorship for our event. When we first set out to do this benefit for my very dear friend Tori and her daughter, we were not aware of this. All we are doing is trying to raise money to benefit a family in need. We find ourselves in a very bad position now. We cannot find sponsorship for our event, so we will need to do away with the raffle as well as the “poker run” part of our trail riding event. We are still going to have a benefit trail ride, but on a donation only basis. Please, by all means, come and join us for the ride. We do have door prizes, which everyone will get a ticket for, just for showing up! Some of you have already sent in money for the raffle. I will be sending everyone their money back today. It saddens me that we are not able to provide a poker run, but still hope to see you all there to support this amazing little girl and her family. I will be making changes to the website very soon as well. In the mean time, please keep Whitney and her family in your prayers. God bless all of you!

Today I was on the hunt for event insurance. I ran across the website for a company called Cal-Nevada Insurance Agency based out of Nevada (the state, not the city) I called the toll free number and the lady on the other end took my information and said someone would be calling me back. About an hour ago, a gentleman by the name of Terry called me back and explained that he writes policies for events like these all the time, but he isn’t licensed to write them in Iowa. He referred me on to a company he was confident could help me. Before we hung up, I told him what the benefit Poker Run was for. I heard his breath catch on the other end. He told me that he lost a small child, his child, to a water related accident. He asked me for the website address because he wanted to make a contribution. I gave him the information, thanked him and hung up the phone. Approximately 15 minutes later, I received an email notification telling me that he had, indeed, made a contribution. A SIGNIFICANT ONE! I immediately emailed him and thanked him for his generosity and told him that people like him were true gems. I was reminded today that there are GOOD PEOPLE in the world that give of themselves to help in any way they can. THANK YOU, Terry for the reminder. I left work with a smile on my face and in my heart today!

ok everyone...as of this last monday the 11th whitney has had six chemo treatments..she is doing so well with them bless her heart..I told the doctor she is slowly starting to lose her hair....This is what the doctor told whit...this is the time where you need to get the wildest haircut you can think of and dye it any color you want whether its hot pink, blue, purple...he also told her that mom will say yes....She had the biggest smile on her face when he told her that.....i hope everyone has a happy valentines day..

here is an update about my beautiful baby girl whitney...she is doing really well with her chemo treatments....i also want to let everyone know she is starting to lose her hair its starting to look a little thin...she has noticed she has hair all over her shirt...she's not too happy but doing really good about it..she hasnt lost alot..i think its just starting...she is such a strong girl...thank you to everyone who is praying for whitney and all the children who are going through something like this....love whitneys family

okay..goodmorning everyone.people are asking for an update on whitney..sorry its taking so long..She had her fourth chemo treatment monday she did pretty good. One of her chemos affects the nerves..which causes pain and some weakness in her arms, legs, and feet so the doc put her on a nerve pill to help with that...no hair loss yet. all in all i think she is doing pretty good..she is such a strong girl...I will keep updating as much as i can...hope everyone has a good day

When we decided to do this Poker Run for Tori and her family it seemed like a very daunting task, but as I thought about it more and more I realized that there are people out there who do care and who do want to help. Tori has an amazing family and amazing friends that seem to pull together to help one another when we are in times of need. I speak to family and friends when I say thank you for all you do!I also feel that I need to recognize the many horse people that have reached out to Tori and her family and are participating in this ride for them and showing their support, either by volunteering, donating time or prizes, or participating, or simply being there.Finally I would like to recognize all the businesses both small and large that have helped us pull our event together. It means the world to us that you are taking time out of your busy days to listen and help in any way you can.God bless you all! From the bottom of my heart, I say THANK YOU!Vanessa

From Tori (Whitney's mom) good morning friends. today is treatment number three for whitney..she is doing great handling it. we will see what comes of it today. she is such a strong little girl. I will keep you posted. i hope everyone has a good day